


your string of lights is still bright to me

by Magepaw



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Bittersweet, Canon Compliant, Childhood Friends, Emotional Baggage, Established Relationship, F/F, Girls Kissing, Growing Up, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Insecurity, Light Angst, Past Violence, Request Meme, Training
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-01
Updated: 2019-06-01
Packaged: 2020-04-05 18:20:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19045849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Magepaw/pseuds/Magepaw
Summary: Her hands knew music through the strings of the koto, knew how to sew clothing and dolls, knew the exact sweeping dance of the haraigushi to distill and purify her magic. Her skin was soft as only royalty could afford to be, not tanned from the sun and callused from the hilt of a katana, like Hana's. Sakura only wanted to create and to preserve life with her gentle hands. She had never struck a person with them. She had never wanted to, before.





	your string of lights is still bright to me

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sumaru](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sumaru/gifts).



> a femslash request drabble that went long enough to post by itself! referenced a bunch of support conversations bc sakura is the most valid hoshido sib, hi lin 
> 
> \- minor mentions of blood/injury bc healer!

Sakura curled her hands into fists as best she could. The shape was still new to her, but becoming more familiar with practice.

 

Her hands knew music through the strings of the koto, knew how to sew clothing and dolls, knew the exact sweeping dance of the haraigushi to distill and purify her magic. Her skin was soft as only royalty could afford to be, not tanned from the sun and callused from the hilt of a katana, like Hana's. Sakura only wanted to create and to preserve life with her gentle hands. She had never struck a person with them. She had never wanted to, before. Still, inexperience was not the same as innocence. She would hardly claim to be innocent.

 

"R-ready," Sakura stammered, raising her fists into position and hoping she looked tougher than she sounded. Before her stood Hana, the bravest of all, the one who always stood between her and danger no matter the cost to herself. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach, nervous and excited and determined all at once.

 

Hana nodded once, curt, taking her feelings seriously. Without further warning, she darted forward, feinting a light jab to the side of Sakura's head. Sakura raised her block and deflected the punch, a pleased smile spreading on her face. Hinoka's self-defense training was working.

 

Sakura had prayed for all the fighting to end, but she refused to simply close her eyes and wait for it to pass. She wasn't brave enough to face the front line like her warrior siblings, but she would piece them back together as many times as she needed to. Assuming Mikoto's mantle was the best way Sakura could be of use against the Nohrian invasion. Hers were healing hands like her mother's had been, well accustomed to blood. Her sewing practice made for neat rows of stitches, and her magic knit her countrymen's flesh and bone back together when the legions of Faceless left grisly wounds too deep to suture. She wouldn't shy away from that duty no matter the bone-deep exhaustion their suffering left her with.

 

Hana's other fist shot out much faster, sweeping through the opening she left and rapping Sakura soundly on the temple. It was hardly a heavy blow. Hana would never use full strength against her. But Sakura staggered back a step, seeing stars. She was unused to taking hits directly, suddenly disoriented by the ringing in her ears. Hana scowled, lowering her fists just a little.

 

"Are you alright to continue, Lady Sakura?"

 

The samurai was visibly torn between her orders to continue sparring unless the safe word was given, and her clear unhappiness at causing Sakura pain. Sakura shook her head, dazed for a moment longer, but frowned mulishly back.

 

"Um… I-I'm fine! I know you're holding back. I can continue," Sakura promised. Hana had never backed down from a challenge, never missed a day of training, and look at how far she had come. Sakura was a warrior's daughter with dragon's blood in her veins, a proud princess of Hoshido. She could learn to fight too.

 

"Stubborn as always," Hana said, a rueful smile beginning to tug at the corner of her mouth.

 

"Me, the stubborn one?" Sakura smiled primly. "I'm n-not the kid who snuck into the soldiers' sparring sessions no matter how many times the men kicked her out."

 

"You're the one who insisted on following me through the forest every time to watch, even when you couldn't keep up," Hana shot back quickly, cheeks tinged pink. She jabbed a few light blows towards Sakura, who blocked them all successfully. The impact still stung her, but she did her best to keep it from her face. She would get better at this.

 

As Hana began to dart and weave around her, easing into the familiar dance of hand to hand sparring, Sakura felt all too clearly the gulf of experience that stretched between them. She was sweating already, damp hair plastered against her forehead and neck, while Hana was barely out of breath.

 

"Y-you were even stubborn enough to practice horseback riding just to best Subaki, e-even though it's his specialty and not yours…"

 

"Ha! Like I would let him beat me at anything! You're just trying to distract me, but it won't work!"

 

Sakura screwed up her courage and finally threw her first punch, clumsy and wide. Hana dodged it easily, but there was a light of approval shining in her fixed gaze. _Again_ , she wordlessly demanded. Sakura clenched her fists tighter, determined to land at least one blow.

 

 _There-!_ Hana shifted her weight suddenly and darted forward, ever the aggressor, aiming for Sakura's unguarded stomach. Sakura pivoted on her hip and stepped into Hana's space instead of shrinking back, using her momentum against her the way Hinoka had shown her. Hana was clearly startled, but before Sakura could complete the throw, Hana reacted on reflex, hooking an arm around Sakura's neck to leverage her weight back. They both yelped in surprise as they crashed to the ground, arms tangled up in each other.

 

Sakura found herself on top, wheezing and panting from the effort it cost her. Hana was sprawled underneath her, long hair fanned out around her flushed face, eyes wide and gazing up in wonder at her liege. Sakura burst into giggles, a giddy swoop in her stomach. It was hardly the victory she had envisioned, but surely the person she had been a year ago would never have managed to knock Hana off her feet, and Hana seemed to realize it too. Hana's grip closed on her wrists, muscles tensed beneath Sakura's weight as her gaze lit up at the challenge.

 

Sakura leaned in quickly before Hana could throw her off, and pressed their lips together in a kiss.

 

All at once the fight fled from Hana's body. Her grip on Sakura's wrists slackened, hands holding her steady, eyes fluttering shut. Sakura made a small contented noise, leaning in closer to deepen the kiss. Her heart was thundering in her chest, her legs quivering from exertion. She wasn't strong enough yet. Sakura wanted to be able to protect Hana more than anything, the way Hana had always protected her, since they were little.

 

"I yield," Hana mumbled against the corner of her mouth. She nuzzled against Sakura's neck, pressing light kisses to her flushed skin. "That's your first win... Sakura. Please accept my unconditional surrender."

 

"Hana…"

 

Hana's arms slowly wound their way around Sakura's back, hugging her trembling form closer. The unfinished edges of Sakura's body were too soft from eating sweets and living indoors, sleeping with a doll cradled to her chest, shaped by the spoiled life of the youngest princess who could never survive outside the safe walls of Shirasagi. She felt safe in Hana's strong arms, as always, but she could not stay like this, not anymore.

 

Sakura had gone running with Hinoka at dawn, though she could not keep up with her powerful sister for any length of time. Her muscles ached terribly, protesting the unfamiliar exertion of training, but she refused to complain. Her small hands could now nock a bowstring under Takumi's instruction, although not with his ease of practice; her forearms were crossed with ugly welts from where the string struck her, bruises she refused to heal with magic so that they would serve as reminders to correct her form. She was growing. She would catch up with everyone.

 

Her fierce siblings had long outpaced her – Ryoma's broad hands no longer reacted to the painful sting of Raijinto's lightning, though he surely felt it with every strike; Hinoka's fingers would always be crooked after that accident when she'd fallen from her pegasus, and Takumi had the scar on his palm from yet another snapped bowstring before the Fujin Yumi came to him – while Sakura's small hands remained unmarked and clean. There were too many years between them to measure herself against them. But Hana was the same age as her. Hana had been determined to improve herself from the day they'd met, the most driven person Sakura had ever known. If Sakura had trained with her all these years, instead of watching Hana grow from the sidelines, they could have been standing on equal ground now.

 

Sakura had no scars on her skin because Hana carried them all for her.

 

She wouldn't inconvenience everyone forever. Guilt and fear and grief were transforming Sakura, forcing out strength and an anger she did not know she could contain within her heart of glass. Sakura had always taken shelter behind Hana's back when violence struck, but if she truly wanted to save anyone, she had to fight for them – like Hinoka had learned from losing Corrin, all those years ago, and Sakura learned from her mother, a little too late.

 

Sakura refused to lose anyone else she loved. Her fists unfurled, gently cupping Hana's cheeks in her fingers. Slowly, deliberately, she kissed Hana again, her devoted retainer, her brave protector, her beloved lionheart. One day, Sakura vowed, she would be strong enough to fight at Hana's side, as equals.

**Author's Note:**

> ...implied conquest route, where sakura masters the yumi and defends fort jinya with her retainers, and will one day accept the crown from hinoka and be queen


End file.
